Saturday’s Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup meeting will bring the curtain down on the 2020/21 racing season and features a sumptuous smorgasbord of thoroughbred racing.
Significantly, championship honours will be up for grabs in a number of the stakes races on offer.
All the focus will probably be on the HKJC World Pools Gr1 Champions Cup, the 1800m race which, but for the defection of Rainbow Bridge, could have been the clincher as to who will be crowned the Champion Older Male and Middle distance horse.
Rainbow Bridge has enjoyed a top season – but not in line up for Saturday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Both Rainbow Bridge and Got The Greenlight scored twice at the elite level this season, the former claiming both the Met and Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, while his younger rival completed the Horse Chestnut/Premier’s Champions Challenge double.
However, Got The Greenlight finished ahead of the Sands runner when a close-up third in the Gr1 Vodacom Durban July. The absence of Rainbow Bridge counts heavily in favour of Joey Soma’s charge, who was the country’s champion at two and three. A third Gr1 success would also strengthen his claims to the ultimate accolade, that of Horse of the Year.
Champions all? The Snaiths will be hopeful that Jet Dark can sneak into the championship frame (Pic- Chase Liebenberg)
Needless to say, should Gr1 L’ Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Jet Dark cause a surprise, he will join Cape Derby/Daily News 2000 hero Linebacker and Triple Crown winner Malmoos in the race to the three-year-old championship.
The Mercury Sprint could also determine the season’s leading sprinter, as the country’s other Gr1 sprints have gone to three different winners.
The Cape Flying Championship went the way of Run Fox Run, Rio Querari captured the Computaform Sprint and Battle Force won the Golden Horse Sprint.
As Run Fox Run was retired after her Gr1 victory, Rio Querari is the likely favourite over Battle Force to clinch the title, considering he also claimed the Gr2 Diadem Stakes and was runner-up to in the Cape Flying Championship.
MK’s Pride – Gauteng raider cannot be discounted (Pic – JC Photos)
Dark horse could be MK’s Pride, who only needs a Gr1 victory to throw his hat into the ring. Successful in the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes, he also finished third in the Golden Horse Sprint.
The Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes likewise looks set to play a deciding role as to who will be the season’s top juvenile male.
As the winner of the Gr1 Gold Medallion up the Hollywoodbets Scottsville straight, Ambiorix is currently the leading candidate. Not surprisingly, his connections have decided to bypass the mile event, which leaves two runners capable of staking a claim as well.
Kannemeyer’s Waterberry Lane is led in after his Gr2 Golden Horseshoe victory (Pic-Candiese Lenferna)
Waterberry Lane was a fluent winner of the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe, where he had Gr3 Godolphin Barb winner Good Traveller behind him in third.
The pair are the sole stakes winners in Saturday’s line-up and obviously, should any of the other contenders spoil their party, Ambiorix will probably get the nod, considering he also won the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes and was runner-up in the Gr3 Cape of Good Hope Nursery.
The last four champion juvenile fillies – Lady In Black, Return Flight, Gabor and Anything Goes – all won the Thekwini Stakes.
However, missing from Saturday’s line-up are two likely contenders for championship honours.
Following her commanding victory in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship, Under Your Spell has strong claims to the crown.
Sean Tarry’s charge hacked up in the Listed Ruffian Stakes and Gr3 Protea Stakes, only to lose her unbeaten record when fourth in the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery.
Under Your Spell – doesn’t run on Saturday (Pic – JC Photos)
The Allan Robertson proved to be pure redemption for the daughter of champion Capetown Noir, as she thrashed a fine field of rivals by almost four lengths, the vanquished including the unbeaten Sheela.
The Drakenstein homebred must surely come into contention after beating male rivals in both the Gr2 SA Nursery and Storm Bird Stakes.
On the strength of those efforts, she started in the red for the Allan Robertson. However, she proved no match for Under Your Spell, eventually having to settle for third. Be that as it may, the talented chestnut subsequently bounced right back to her best when a fluent winner over the minimum trip.
Adding further intrigue, Gr1 success in the Thekwini would also bring another Drakenstein-bred into the picture, this being Under Your Spell’s stable companion Rain In Holland.
The progressive daughter of Duke Of Marmalade has put together a fine four-race winning streak, which includes a two and a half-length drubbing of the colt Smorgasbord, who had run Sheela to a length in the SA Nursery!
The Gr3 Gold Cup may have lost much of its lustre since it dropped its Gr1 status in 2016. Yet it is still regarded as the country’s prime staying contest and remains the marquee event on the day.
Tarry’s Nebraas has hit form in good time for Gold Cup (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
This year’s renewal features the trio of African Adventure, Don’t Look Back and Nebraas, who between them accounted for the Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup, Gr3 Gold Bowl and Gr3 Gold Vase.
Whether another Gr3 success will be good enough for championship honours is debatable.
Strictly speaking, a Gr2 victory trumps Gr3 success and the only stayer who scored at that level this past season is Atyaab, who will sadly be missing from this year’s line-up.
A former Cape Derby winner, he won the Gr2 Western Cape Stayers during the summer season but broke down in the Gold Vase, where he was in contention until tragedy struck at the top of the straight.
Champion Summer Pudding will have her final start on Saturday (Pic- JC Photos)
Finally, the Gr2 Gold Bracelet marks the swansong for one of the darlings of the South African turf, the filly Summer Pudding. The Mauritzfontein-bred has not raced since May, but on sheer ability, the champion towers over her rivals.
Successful twice at Gr1 level this season – she won both the Gauteng Summer Cup and Empress Club Stakes – victory here will set the seal on a magnificent career and a deserved title as the champion older female.
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